Smart City Capacities: Extant Knowledge and Future Research for Sustainable Practical Applications

David E. Mills (), Steven Pudney, Ricardo Correa Gomes and Greici Sarturi
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David E. Mills: QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4000, Australia
Steven Pudney: Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coolangatta 4225, Australia
Ricardo Correa Gomes: Department of Public Management, Business School of Sao Paulo, Fundação Getulio Vargas, São Paulo 01313-902, Brazil
Greici Sarturi: Department of Business Administration, Postgraduate Program in Management of Public Organizations, Federal University of Santa Maria, Campus Palmeira das Missões, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Throughout the smart city literature, there are mentions of capacities, the application of which is claimed to result in the sustainable achievement of objectives. Because of the often desperate need for smart city objectives to be met, we sought to understand which were the capacities and whether the components of these capacities are explained sufficiently for them to be effective in practice. We applied a four-stage methodology commencing with a search of multiple databases for smart city capacity knowledge. We next assembled the evidence from the items identified in that search using a thematic analysis that identified the capacity to exploit technology, innovate, collaborate, and orchestrate. Next, we followed the threads of knowledge, iteratively allocating the knowledge to each of the four capacities to a typology of what, why, and who. The fourth stage was a cross-capacity analysis that generated further refinement and identified important factors. We identified that capacities are not sufficiently explained. In addition to the need for more levels of detail as to practical implementation, we identified significant underdevelopment of the literature as to the impact of institutional complexity and the influence of stakeholders. We propose research directed at increasing the effectiveness of capacities, define the concept of smart city capacities, propose a framework of the components of capacities, and draw on established stakeholder theory to create a stakeholder influence research framework.

Keywords: collaboration; innovation; exploiting technology; orchestration; smart city capacity; smart city; smart city government; institutional complexity; stakeholder influence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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